Supposed To Be Forever
by MadameX818
Summary: Peridot finally tells Steven the story of how she met Lapis Lazuli.
1. Another Story for Steven

_This was all temporary, wasn't it?_ Peridot thought. Staying on Earth, living with Steven and the clods, and totally disregarding orders from Yellow Diamond by disarming The Cluster, it was all part of the plan right? Soon enough, Yellow Diamond will send help and she will be going back to Gem Homeworld and eventually forget about Steven, right?

 _Why is it so hard not to get attached,_ she thought. Hasn't she learned her lesson before?

Steven is the only who doesn't threaten to hurt her, who doesn't mind if she doesn't follow orders, who treats her like an equal. He stands up for her without question and seems to have no ulterior motive whatsoever. She doesn't even mind the fact that Steven has a slightly lower IQ. But Peridot learned a long time ago that getting attached to someone else is dangerous, that it gets in the way of duty. But still, why does the act of betraying Steven sounds so . . . unethical?

"Hey Dot," Steven cries out, using the nickname he began calling her. Normally Peridot would insist that he should use her full title, but she made an exception for Steven, everyone seems to make an exception for Steven.

"Steven," she responds.

"Um, can I ask you a question?" Steven says. "It's something that's been bothering me for a long time."

"Is it about The Cluster?" Peridot replies absentmindedly.

"No," Steven says. "It's about Jasper and Lapis. Aren't you worried about them? You never asked us about what happened to them after we took you in."

Peridot suddenly snaps to attention. Jasper and Lapis Lazuli, she hasn't given them a single thought after their warship crashed. She assumed they were shattered in the explosion.

"Um, what did happen to Jasper and Lazuli?" Peridot asks.

"It's a bit of a long story," Steven stutters. "Basically, after Garnet beat Jasper, she fused with Lapis to make it even. But then Lapis turned on Jasper and imprisoned the both of them at the bottom of the sea to protect me from her. We tried to find Malachite—the fusion they created—but Lapis didn't want us to. I still really want to find her because she's my friend. I'm scared of Jasper, though."

"I don't care if you find them or not," Peridot says bitterly. "Jasper never respected me anyway."

"What about Lapis?" Steven asks.

"What do you mean," Peridot says.

"How do you feel about her?" Steven continues. "She's really nice, sometimes a bit scary, but she cares about me. Wasn't she your informant?"

Peridot didn't like even thinking about Lazuli. Sometimes, she wondered why she liked her in the first place.

"Honestly, our relationship is complicated," Peridot mutters. She wanted this conversation to be over. Why must humans have so many questions?

"Tell me," Steven gushes, his eyes lighting up like stars.

"No," Peridot says, "End of discussion."

"Please," Steven pleas, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Peridot rolls her eyes. "Fine, but the story doesn't have a happy ending."


	2. Looking Glass

**Three Thousand Years Ago**

* * *

"How is this mirror useful?" Peridot asked Yellow Diamond as she glanced upon the silver looking glass.

Peridot had only asked her superior for a report about the Cluster she was studying. She didn't need a useless mirror.

"This is a record for all Gem history," the tall yellow Gem responded. "It records everything it has ever seen through its reflective side. I am entrusting you with this because it has information about the Cluster. Do not break it; we have had this thing forever, ever since the Rebellion. It's simple to use, all you have to do is ask the mirror any question you desire."

Peridot gently took the mirror from Yellow Diamond and observed it. It was ancient, technology from thousands of years ago. She noticed a cracked teardrop-shaped gem on the back; she wasn't surprised since Homeworld had used inactive Gems as power sources for technology, but she was curious on whom this Gem used to be.

"What kind of Gem is this?" she asked, pointing to the stone.

"A Lapis Lazuli, I believe," Yellow Diamond answered nonchalantly, like she couldn't care less who the Gem was. "One of the gems who fought in the war, she was damaged and refused to regenerate so we had to make use of her somehow. Ignore the crack; one of the Pearls dropped the mirror a couple centuries ago and damaged it."

"Thank you," Peridot said. This was one of the few times a Diamond treated her fairly.

"Just don't make me regret this," Yellow Diamond replied coldly.

"Show me the first prototype of the Cluster," Peridot commanded once she was alone in her lab.

The mirror didn't respond.

"Why aren't you working?" Peridot asked, shaking the Gem tech. The computers never glitches when she worked with them. She would open the mirror up and have a look-see if it wasn't a looking glass. What was she supposed to do?

"This is stupid," Peridot muttered to herself.

"Just don't make me regret this," Yellow Diamond's voice repeated. Only . . . she wasn't in the room.

Peridot glanced at the mirror and saw Yellow Diamond reflected onto it, replaying her words.

"Huh, so you do work," Peridot said. But why was it replaying what happened merely seconds ago? Perhaps the mirror had a mind of its own.

"Thank you," the mirror responded, replaying the moment Peridot thanked Yellow Diamond.

"Will you show me the Cluster?" Peridot asked.

Nothing.

Peridot grumbled and said, "Just don't show Yellow Diamond again. Sometimes, I get sick of seeing her face."

Peridot snickered at her own joke and the mirror replayed it, as if it was laughing along. Could the mirror have a mind of its own? But the Gem powering was inactive, wasn't it? Surely, the Diamond Authority wouldn't put an active Gem inside a piece of Gem tech which would be unethical of them.

"Are you ever going to be useful to me?" Peridot asked, even though it was hard to have a conversation with an object that can only replay certain moments.

An unfamiliar moment was reflected on the mirror, showing various Gems fusing old Gem shards together using welding machines. It was the creation of the first Cluster prototype. The mirror was doing its command, which left Peridot confused and intrigued. It was too bad though, she missed talking to the mirror.

* * *

 **Present Day**

"And that's how I met Lapis," Peridot finished.

"That's not the end," Steven whined.

"That was how I encountered Lazuli so the story is over," Peridot argued. She didn't want to talk about how she and Lapis . . . bonded. It brought back bad memories.

"Please," Steven begged, "I want to see how you two became friends. Have you ever met her outside the mirror? I have so many questions."

"Fine, I'll tell you about us becoming friends," Peridot grumbled. Honestly, Steven was making her softer every day. It reminded her too much of Lapis and how she softened her. Steven was just like her and now he was forcing her to retell all those memories. But she gave in anyway, since she had no other choice.

"Now where was I?" Peridot continued telling the story.


	3. Voices

**Three Thousand Years Ago**

* * *

Peridot couldn't tell if the mirror was an object or a person. Sometimes it functioned as a tool, doing her command and sometimes, it began talking to her. It was seriously scaring her. What if Yellow Diamond was lying and the Gem powering the mirror _was_ active? But there was simply no way that one of Homeworld's most noble and prestigious leaders would lie about something as terrible as trapping an active Gem in an object . . . right?

"Help . . . me," a voice called out in Peridot's lab.

The green Gem looked up from her Flask Robonoid prototype and looked around. Nobody else was here. She then saw the mirror on her desk, as if it was beckoning to her. Normally, if one of the gem techs was malfunctioning like this, Peridot would immediately get the Diamonds, but something about the mirror intrigued her.

She picked it up and a series of clips flashed across the mirror, warped and distorted. The first clip was of a Gem battlefield, littered with Gem shards, the second one was of an ocean on a foreign planet, and the final one was a brief, blurred image of a pink Gem, wielding a sword and shield. Suddenly, more random memories were mashed together to make out a sentence.

"Peridot . . . please . . . help . . . me," the mirror spoke through distorted voices, sounding desperate and scared.

Peridot was frightened. Nothing like this ever happened to her. What was she supposed to do?

As if the mirror read her mind, it spoke once again, "Remove . . . my . . . gem."

Peridot flipped the mirror over and stared at the cracked gemstone. If the Gem was active, did Yellow Diamond know? More importantly, if she did know, what was the Gem doing in there? Was it some sort of punishment? Did the Gem deserve to be trapped like this? Were there more active Gems stuck in machines like this?

 _It's too dangerous_ , Peridot thought, _you have to report this_. But when she saw how helpless and desperate the Gem sounded, she placed her hand on the gemstone and began to pull. But it was stuck. Peridot pulled again but the Gem wouldn't budge.

"What are you doing?" a voice screeched and it wasn't the mirror this time. Peridot looked up to see Yellow Diamond standing in the threshold.

The mirror fell silent, as if it was just as scared as Peridot herself.

Yellow Diamond snatched the mirror out of Peridot's hands and stared coldly at her. "I can have you shattered for this."

Peridot suddenly blurted out, "The Gem in there is active! What is it doing in there?!"

"That is none of your business," Yellow Diamond yelled.

Peridot shut up in order not to get punished. She stared at the helpless Gem as Yellow Diamond left with the mirror in her hands.

* * *

 **Present Day**

"And the next time I heard about the mirror, the Diamonds used it as a part of an experiment to see if the Homeworld Warp on Earth still worked. They were able to warp it there, but not able to warp it back. I always wondered what would've happened if I was able to free Lazuli three thousand years ago," Peridot says.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I freed her last year," Steven replies.

"But she could have been released much earlier if it wasn't for Yellow Diamond," Peridot argues.

"Did you ever see her after she flew back to Homeworld?" Steven asks.

"Hold on, I'm getting to that," Peridot continues.


	4. Blue Angel

**Homeworld, somewhere after the events of "Ocean Gem"**

* * *

It was ridiculous to think of something that happened three thousand years ago, but sometimes Peridot couldn't help herself. That Gem that powered the mirror, where was she now? Probably lying in the Galaxy Warp on Earth, alone and without a purpose, but what could she have done to deserve that kind of imprisonment?

 _Maybe it was for the best_ , Peridot thought. Who knows, maybe Yellow Diamond was right and it was none of her business to question past Gems. Perhaps the Gem in there was dangerous, maybe even one of the rebels that tried to protect Earth five thousand years ago. Maybe it was best not to question the rules the Diamond Authority has set out for Gem-kind.

Peridot looked up at the sky and saw something peculiar. It was not a strange star, nor an asteroid of any kind. Whatever it was, it had wings and was quite beautiful, at least that's what Peridot could tell from here. She got up and followed wherever the thing was going to land, in case this was an emergency.

Soon enough, the strange space object gracefully fluttered down to Homeworld, where Peridot could see it. She hid behind a bush, because it could be dangerous. But she soon realized the thing was not a thing, but a Gem.

The Gem was stunningly beautiful in Peridot's eyes, with sky-blue skin and short medium-blue hair. She wore a knee-length blue dress with a Blue Diamond symbol on it. A pair of wings made of water extended from the gem on her back. She looked like a blue angel. Peridot wanted to get closer but she couldn't risk getting exposed. For all she knew, she could be one of those "Crystal Gems" she encountered a while ago.

The Gem retracted her wings and sat down on the grass. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "I'm finally home," her voice cracking like she was about to cry.

And that's when Peridot accidentally snapped a twig.

The blue Gem turned around and spotted Peridot awkwardly scrambling to her feet, partly tangled in the bush she was hiding in. But instead of flying away, she smiled when the two of them made eye contact.

"Peridot," she said softly.

The green Gem was utterly confused. How did this stranger know her name? Why was she blushing as well?

"You don't remember me?" the Gem asked.

Peridot tried her hardest not to stutter when she asked, "Are you a Gem from another colony?"

"That doesn't answer my question," the Gem replied. "I'm Lapis Lazuli."

 _Where have I heard that before?_ Peridot wondered. She had never seen this Gem before but she could faintly remember the name Lapis Lazuli.

Lapis didn't wait for a response from Peridot and instead embraced her tightly. Peridot wasn't used to physical contact but she let Lapis hug her. She liked the touch of her warm skin. Peridot looked at Lazuli's gemstone, which was blue and shaped like a teardrop. Suddenly, a memory sparked in Peridot's mind: the mirror. Lapis Lazuli was the Gem imprisoned there. How did she get released?

Peridot was so startled by the memory that she suddenly pushed Lapis away.

"What's wrong?" Lapis asked.

"You were in the mirror," Peridot stuttered.

"And then I was freed and now I'm here," Lapis finished.

"I'm sorry," Peridot whispered, "I could've done that several years ago."

"It doesn't matter," Lapis replied. "I'm here now."

* * *

 **Beach House, present day**

"Are you crying?" Peridot asks Steven. It doesn't sound normal to cry about a happy reunion. Steven was a complete enigma to her.

"No," Steven responds, wiping his obvious tears. "Keep going."


	5. Defective Love

**Homeworld, somewhere before the events of "The Return"**

* * *

Lapis didn't exactly get the warm welcome Peridot thought she deserved. While White Diamond and Blue Diamond were more than pleased to see Lapis Lazuli return home after being trapped on Earth for 3,000 years because of them, Yellow Diamond was suspicious. She conducted many interrogations with Lapis and had other Gems keep tabs on her. It was more like Lapis was on parole rather than a free Gem.

"There you are!" Peridot exclaimed when she found Lapis sitting on a tall hill, a long way from her Gem chambers. "We're not supposed to be out this late after curfew."

"They really tightened the rules after the war," Lapis responded, staring out at the wide expanse of starry sky before them.

"Isn't this how it's always been?" Peridot asked. She was significantly much younger than Lapis, as the gem technician was only 4,300 years old.

"Things used to be . . . less strict before the Gem War," Lapis said. She motioned Peridot to sit down with her.

"The Gem War always fascinated me," Peridot admitted. "I'm not allowed to read information about it. Do you remember a few things from it?"

"How can I forget the Gem War?" Lapis sighed. "It was the worst 1,000 years of my life."

"Is it because Homeworld lost against Rose and her army?" Peridot asked.

Lapis laughed. "I was in the mirror by the time the war ended, but I still saw gruesome things within the glass prison."

Peridot didn't like questioning the Diamond Authority, as it could get her in trouble, but she felt like Yellow Diamond wasn't telling her the truth about the reason Lapis was in the mirror. It was obvious Lapis didn't become inactive after she was damaged.

"How did you end up in the mirror?" Peridot asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, I want to tell somebody the truth," Lapis said. "The truth is, I wasn't poofed during a Gem battle. Someone purposely damaged me. While I was fighting on Homeworld's side, Rose Quartz was trying to persuade me to join the Crystal Gems." Lapis wrinkled her nose at the mention of the "Crystal Gems."

She continued, "She promised me that I would be free from all the rules on Homeworld that I wouldn't have to live under the Gem caste system. I was actually considering betraying the Diamond Authority. But before I could make an official decision, Yellow Diamond poofed me and used me to power an all-seeing mirror, lying to the other Diamonds that I was inactive. It was a punishment for interacting with the Crystal Gems and supposedly 'betraying' the army, which I didn't do!"

Peridot couldn't believe her ears. Yellow Diamond doing something so cruel to an innocent Gem sounded improbable, illogical even. Lapis had to be lying but why would she lie about something so tragic?

"You were involved with the 'Crystal Gems'?" Peridot asked, still not believing it.

"I've lost faith in them a long time ago," Lapis replied. "I showed up at the Galaxy Warp three thousand years ago and they found me. They recognized my gemstone, they knew my name and what did they do? Used me as their little tool! Rose Quartz promised me freedom and she kept me in that wretched prison, forgetting that I was a living Gem. They didn't care about their own kind; they only wanted to protect _humans_. They had forgotten where they came from and chose to defend something so meaningless and puny! I saw them kill Gems, Peridot! Kill monsters that were once people and then keeping them in bubbles for nearly eternity because they consider themselves not to be Gems and therefore ashamed of other Gems."

"That's a lot to process," Peridot stuttered.

"I don't blame you for not being able to release me 3,000 years ago," Lapis said. "You barely knew who I was and was scared. But the Crystal Gems, ugh, they knew who I was and still didn't try to make things right."

"If they had you for so long, then who released you?" Peridot asked.

"This . . . strange human boy," Lapis said. "It doesn't sound possible but he's friends with the Crystal Gems and got ahold of my mirror. I don't really consider him a part of their team but he knows them and he has healing powers. At first he defended the Crystal Gems, but then he healed my gem and forgiven me for everything I done to him. It was a miracle."

"There's no way a _human_ could heal you," Peridot said.

"I don't think he's 100% human, he's just an enigma," Lapis responded. "But he was so kind to me, sometimes I wonder if I should've stayed on Earth. Homeworld just doesn't feel like home."

"What?" Peridot cried. "Earth was your prison and now you're sympathizing with it?"

"It's just that," Lapis began. "When I imagined going home while being trapped on Earth, I thought things would go back to the way it used to be. But all my friends have forgotten me, things have advanced way too far beyond my control, and I'm just . . . lost here. I no longer know the place I once loved. You're the only one who remembers me."

A blush creeped up on Peridot's face, she never expected to find Lapis so beautiful and interesting. Lapis treated her like an individual, a real person, not a tool that the Diamonds use. Peridot couldn't help but light up when she saw Lapis. She made Peridot feel something, something that one on Earth would call "emotions." It frightened Peridot when she saw how much Lapis had softened her, but at same time, she liked it.

Lapis touched Peridot's cheek, caressing her gently. Peridot wanted to look away but she was forced to stare into Lazuli's deep navy blue eyes. Ever so slowly and carefully, Lapis leaned in and kissed Peridot on the lips.

At first, it shocked Peridot. Wasn't this considered defective according to the Diamond Authority? How could she let someone like Lapis interfere with her work? And besides, both of them were in different castes and it would never work out. But Peridot's cold logic melted away and she kissed Lapis back. Lapis wrapped her arms around Peridot's neck and the green Gem awkwardly put her mechanical fingers on her waist. Lapis pulled back for a little bit and removed Peridot's visor, allowing her to kiss the triangular gem on her forehead.

After a few warm minutes, the two Gems pulled apart and looked at each other awkwardly.

"I'm sorry," Lapis said. "Did I do something wrong?"

Peridot wanted to tell her that romantic relationships between different Gems were considered defective and disgusting. Heck, she could even provide Lapis a visual aid and lecture her about what Gem defects are. But instead she kissed the blue Gem's forehead and whispered, "No, you didn't do anything wrong."

* * *

 **Beach House, present day**

"I ship it," Steven whispers under his breath.

"What did you say?" Peridot asks.

"Nothing," Steven lies. "What happens next?"


	6. Betrayal

**Diamond Conference Room in Homeworld, right before the events of "The Message"**

* * *

 _Homeworld Law #185: Romantic relationships between two Gems of different stones are defective and illegal._

That was the first law Peridot ever broke. It betrayed everything she thought she knew. It was wrong for her to violate a sacred rule for her own happiness and she should therefore break up with Lapis. But there seemed to be no consequence for Peridot's and Lazuli's actions, what could be so defective about a relationship that makes two Gems happy? That kind of thinking would throw both Peridot and Lapis into a cell to be harvested.

 _But still, why was that law made?_ Peridot thought.

"We're in so much trouble," Peridot whined as she stood in front of the conference room's door. Lapis was by her side. It was only minutes ago that the two of them were both called to the Diamond Conference Room by Yellow Diamond herself.

"Maybe the punishment would be light," Lapis tried to reassure her.

"The words _light punishment_ is not in the Diamonds' vocabulary," Peridot deadpanned. They were going to be harvested for sure.

Peridot squeezed Lazuli's hand for a quick moment before opening the door. All three Diamonds were waiting for them.

 _This is worse than I thought it would be_ , Peridot thought.

"Sit," White Diamond commanded and the two Gems did just that.

Peridot's head was already swimming with excuses for her actions. _We didn't kiss; we just knocked our heads together. We are nothing more than friends. Would you really think a flawless Gem like me would break a rule?_

"This is about those reports you written a couple of weeks ago, Peridot," Yellow Diamond said.

An instant relief was lifted off the green Gem's shoulders. _This is about those Crystal Clods, we haven't been caught!_

"What reports?" Lapis asked.

"Apparently, the 'Crystal Gems' are not extinct as we previously thought they were," Blue Diamond spoke. "Our experiments to restart the Kindergarten and continue the production of the Cluster have been interrupted by the rogue survivors. They've wrecked Facet Five and destroyed the Homeworld Warp right after the Flask Robonoids fixed it. Since we have no other choice, we're going to Earth ourselves to check on the Cluster. We need Peridot to head the mission and Lapis to be her informant. And before those menaces have a chance to stop us, we have to kill them."

Lapis Lazuli's jaw dropped. "But Steven would be destroyed!"

" _Steven?_ " Peridot said aghast. "You've been in contact with the Steven?"

"He's the boy who healed me!" Lapis cried which shocked Peridot. The strange thing that calls himself a Steven has healing powers? Is that why's he involved with the Crystal Gems?

"So not only you have been in contact with Crystal Gems and didn't tell us about it, you've allied yourself with them!" Blue Diamond said.

"I always knew you were a traitor," Yellow Diamond said with a wicked grin.

Peridot felt betrayed. Lapis was one of the machine-wrecking clods? Was everything she said a lie?

"I'm not one of them," Lapis cried. "But I would rather be a part of them than to participate in the Cluster experiments. Millions of Gems, some of them one of ours, _forcedly fused together into a monster?_ They're all trapped in there, being used in there as a weapon, just like what you did with me!"

"That's it!" White Diamond shrieked. "Take her away! She's nothing but a traitor."

Two Guards, both Rubies, came in and handcuffed Lapis, taking her in as a prisoner once more.

"Peridot, do something!" Lapis cried.

The green Gem stood there, motionless. The Gem she loved, being punished for crimes she did not commit. But wasn't she still a traitor if she defied against the Diamond Authority? She allied herself with the Steven which had to count for a real crime.

Lapis Lazuli's face twisted in anger as she saw Peridot stand there, still afraid of the Diamonds. "You're the real traitor," she hissed as the guards took her away.

"We can't punish her just yet," Blue Diamond said. "She knows the most about Earth and the Crystal Gems, so it would be illogical to waste her knowledge. She will still be Peridot's informant."

"Peridot," White Diamond commanded. "We send you your ship and escort next week. You are in charge and make sure you execute those traitors. And take care of Lazuli as well. You are dismissed."

"I won't let you down," Peridot responded in her emotionless, soldier-like voice.

* * *

 **Beach House, present day**

"No!" Steven shrieks. "That can't be how it ends. It's so sad."

"That was not the ending," Peridot says. "That part gets much worse."


	7. The Prisoner

**Gem Warship, right before the events of "The Return"**

* * *

Peridot couldn't begin to fathom how beautiful space was. It was quite rare for Gems to use space travel with the Warp Pads and everything, but Peridot never saw how endless the night sky was. She was in the control bridge, admiring the stars as the ship was on a course for Earth. She also couldn't fathom how far away Earth was, they must've been at it for three weeks now.

"The prisoner refuses to speak to me this time," Jasper, Peridot's escort, complained as she threw open the door to the control bridge. Peridot simply couldn't stand her; Jasper was rude, demanding, and unintelligent. But Jasper was a Quartz so she has to tolerate her as best as she could.

"Perhaps you should stop rattling her cell," Peridot deadpanned. Another thing she couldn't stand about Jasper; she took advantage of Lapis. While Peridot might've let Lapis be imprisoned, Jasper abused her, which was far worse. At least Peridot cared about Lapis.

"She's a traitor, so we should treat her like one," Jasper said like it was pure logic when it clearly wasn't.

"If she has information, we should at least keep her alive long enough to get the information," Peridot retorted. Pretending not to care about Lapis was about the hardest thing Peridot's ever done.

"Well, be my guest," Jasper motioned towards the door, "you talk to her."

"I will," Peridot sniffed and she walked out of the room. It was the perfect excuse to clear things up with Lapis.

Lapis was sitting in her cell with her back to the force field. Peridot nibbled on her mechanical fingers trying to think of what to say.

"Lapis, at least try to look at me," Peridot started.

The blue Gem scooted a little bit farther from her.

Peridot growled in frustration. "I know you have every right to be mad but you have to understand . . . I had no other choice."

Lapis still didn't speak.

Peridot turned her back to Lapis Lazuli's cell and kept talking. "It's not because I was afraid, I know trying to stop them would cause more trouble. The Diamonds are much stricter now and if I interfered, you would be harvested instead."

Why was her voice cracking? Why were her eyes welling up? Emotions were defective for Peridots like her and this was no exception. Lapis really did change her.

This realization made Peridot even madder. "I wish I could see you as a prisoner, as a traitor, but I can't! I care about you more than you think I do, more than I'd like to. I want to choose my duty over you but I can't! You know why, Lapis? Because . . . I think I love you!"

Those words made her clap her fingers over her mouth. What if Jasper heard? Not only would that be mortifying, it would mean she was defective.

She no longer cared if Lapis was listening or not, she kept talking. "I want you to be safe. If you can manage not to get in more trouble than you are already in, I might be able to help you out of your punishment. That's the only way. And if these 'Crystal Clods' you care about don't get in the way, they might not die. Please don't try to fight, Lapis. It'll only make things worse. We don't want another war on our hands. If we can survive this, then we can be together, this time for good."

Tears were actually streaming down Peridot's cheeks, genuine tears. She wasn't supposed to care, she wasn't supposed to love, but she still did. She prided herself for being a perfect Gem, the way she was supposed to be, but all these feelings over another Gem meant she was defective.

 _That's impossible_ , Peridot tried to lie to herself.

The green Gem composed herself and wiped away her tears. She turned around to face Lapis Lazuli's cell. The blue Gem was facing her this time, still silent but not angry. She was smiling; tears streaked her face as well.

"I love you too," Lapis whispered.

Peridot smiled and reached towards Lapis. The sweet moment was interrupted when a voice screeched through the silence.

"PERIDOT, I CAN SEE EARTH!" Jasper roared. "PREPARE FOR DESCENT!"

"We'll talk later," Peridot whispered and Lapis nodded in response.

Peridot felt an unfamiliar feeling as she walked back to the control bridge. It was happiness.

* * *

 **Beach House, present day**

"Is that the end?" Steven asks.

"Not, not yet," Peridot answers. "There's still a little left to go over."


	8. Never Forgotten

**Beach City, after Steven is knocked out in "The Return"**

* * *

"YOU HAVE FAILED!" Jasper cried as she slammed her forehead into Steven, knocking the boy unconscious.

"STEVEN!" Lapis yelled as Jasper tossed Steven aside like he was a sack.

"Who's next?" Jasper snarled as the Pearl and the Amethyst charged at her.

Lapis tried to run over to Steven's side but Peridot pulled her away.

"Lapis, not now," Peridot hissed into her ear.

Lapis pulled away from Peridot's grasp. "You tried to kill Steven. You said that we weren't going to hurt them."

"I was following orders," Peridot said. "Why should we care about what happens to them? They're traitors, criminals, and that Steven you care so much about is working with them. They kept you in that mirror for thousands of years, why do you forgive them so quickly?"

"Steven helped me even after what I did to him," Lapis hissed. "He had forsaken me, he was there for me, unlike you. All you care about is following orders."

"I'm trying to survive, Lapis," Peridot said with her fists clenched. "Don't you understand? Homeworld has changed and things are different than what you remember. There's only one way to escape death here, and that way is to obey the Diamond Authority, no matter how much you hate it. I've witnessed many Gems, some of which were my friends, being shattered for failing the Diamonds and the last thing I want is that to happen to you!"

Peridot cared about Lapis, no matter how many times she tried to deny it. She couldn't erase all the memories of Gems being executed for breaking laws. Lapis was getting herself into more trouble by helping these clods.

"You should think about the consequences to your actions before you dive into whatever mess the Crystal Gems caused," Peridot said. "I'm doing this for us."

A crash was heard and Peridot and Lapis turned to see the other two Crystal Gems lying on the Earth's beach, unconscious. Jasper laughed sinisterly as she scooped up the prisoners one by one.

"Hold the gemstones for me," Jasper said as she tossed the Ruby and Sapphire gems into Peridot's robotic hands. They felt cold and lifeless.

The three Homeworld Gems hopped back onto the ship. Jasper carried the three unconscious Gems over her shoulder, a wicked grin on her face. Lapis surveyed the Earth's beach as Peridot reactivated the entrance Robonoid.

"I'll take care of the informant, Peridot," Jasper snarled. "You put the new prisoners in their cells."

Peridot knew that Jasper would hurt Lapis but she suppressed her voice as she watched Jasper drag Lapis back to her cell.

In the control bridge, Peridot launched the ship back into Earth's orbit, preparing to set coordinates for Facet Five.

 _Don't think about Lapis_ , Peridot repeated to herself, _she's a traitor._

Jasper swung open the door and yelled out, "What are you doing?"

"The mission was to head for Facet Five after capturing the rebels," Peridot said.

"Forget that," Jasper replied. "We're going straight to Homeworld. We have Rose Quartz imprisoned here. This is much more important than the Cluster."

"What?" Peridot squeaked. "This was not the main objective here! There is no way that Steven is Rose and if he is, it doesn't matter! We're going to carry out the mission."

A soft melody interrupted the fight. One of the prisoners was singing. Peridot never heard music before but the voice sounded quite lovely to her.

Jasper, however, thought otherwise. "Ugh, I hate that. I'm going to check on the prisoners."

"Wait," Peridot followed Jasper out.

She struggled to keep up with the strong orange Quartz.

"We can't leave yet," Peridot demanded. "The whole point of coming here was to check on the Cluster!"

Jasper didn't listen to a word Peridot said. She found the Sapphire harmonizing in her cell and didn't hesitate to punch the cell wall.

"Stop singing," Jasper roared, frightening Peridot. The singing ceased as Jasper continued talking. "Rose Quartz takes priority, get back to the bridge, and set a course for Homeworld!"

Peridot frowned as she followed Jasper's orders. She was the one heading this mission but Jasper was ordering her around, simply because Quartzes had a higher caste than Peridots. She had such an obsession with Rose as well. Who cares? The whole mission was ridiculous to Peridot, since when did this simple task get so hard?

"Go to Earth they said, it'll be easy they said," Peridot muttered to herself.

She passed Lapis Lazuli's cell as she walked back to the control bridge. She couldn't bring herself to say a single word to her. Lapis was sulking by herself, alone and scared.

 _This is for your own good_ , Peridot thought as she trudged by, without even glancing in Lazuli's direction.

* * *

 **Beach House, present day**

"You know what happened afterward," Peridot mumbles. "You attacked me, blew up my ship, and so on."

"Sorry about what happened to you and Lapis," Steven says.

"I'm over it," Peridot lies. "Sometimes, I forget why I ever loved her in the first place." Her voice was cracking and she was tearing up again. Sometimes, she still wondered what would have happened if it wasn't for that Earth mission. Lapis was the only one that made her happy. It was supposed to be forever, the two of them.

Steven hugs Peridot as she continued to sob. The two of them simply sat there, silent.

 _I'm sorry Lapis_ , Peridot thought as she stared out the window. Wherever she was, Peridot hoped she heard that.

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
